A Simple Life
by SkorchNTorch
Summary: After her death, Mileena finds herself alive, and on the verge of death. Again. However, she's rescued and awakens on a farm. Now, the Ex-Empress is beginning to reclaim her empire, and to kill all who oppose her... Except, well. There's just something right about the simple life she finds herself in. (Continuity will be a bit wonky, just saying. Takes place during Mk11 to start.)
1. Chapter 1

Mileena felt weak, like all her bones had been shattered. She was dead… D'Vorah… that Kytin wretch… she had killed her! She was… No, she wasn't dead. How could she feel the cool night air if she was dead? The Netherrealm didn't conjure illusions this intricate to torture someone, it was more eternal fire and agony. The half-tarkatan was extremely confused, not helped by the many wounds she saw on her body, no doubt sustained form the attack by the Earthrealmers. Mileena scowled, she'd make them pay… she'd kill all of them… she'd…

Mileena fell to her hands and knees, and gasped in pain. She wasn't dead yet, but she would be soon. She could feel her strength draining, no matter how much she tried to summon some extra reserve, she knew she was weak.

"_Father would never allow me to die like this…" _She thought angered. _"I am the Empress of Outworld… Not some peasant who…" _

Even now Mileena's thoughts were slowing. She bit her lip aggressively and forced herself to her feet, refusing to be seen like this. She looked around, not knowing where she was, but she suspected she wasn't in Outworld. The ground was covered in grass and the air was cool, unlike the blistering hot sands of Outworld. She blinked, looking around in confusion, now noticing that there were trees around her, still, lifeless and oddly calming.

"_Am…am I in Earthrealm?!" _Mileena thought, shocked. She had been in Earthrealm once before, back when her father's forces were invading, but that was nearly thirty years ago, now she…

She was dead. Emphasis on _was_. She knew she wasn't now, so how did she survive? The half-tarkatan shook her head, dragging herself along, trying to find something, anything, to eat or drink. Off in the distance, she could see a faint light, and what looked like a building. Now Mileena knew her mind was tormenting her, showing her what she needed, but refusing to give it to her.

"Hello?" A voice suddenly called. "Is someone out there?"

"H..hel…" Mileena wheezed out before collapsing again, seeing that the light was getting closer, she closed her eyes, letting the darkness envelop her, knowing this was where she would meet her fate again.

Mileena slowly opened her eyes, groaning warily, she saw… a ceiling? Yes, a ceiling with some strange device rotating in circles that was affixed to it, moving cool air throughout the room. Mileena tried to sit up, but winced in pain, looking down at her body, now covered in blood-soaked bandages. Mileena's senses kicked into overdrive as she scanned around for any sign of where she was, or who her potential savior was. Or her potential capturer…

One thing that was clear was that she was alive, and now laying on a somewhat old bed. A blanket was folded up at her feet, and a glass of water was on a table next to her. What was most surprising was how quiet everything was, there weren't the sounds of guards or mercenaries talking or moving about, in fact, the quiet hum on the odd device above her was the only sound- no wait, Mileena picked up a sound, as well as a smell.

Meat.

Sniffing the air, Mileena recognized the smell of meat cooking, so there was someone nearby… Ignoring her pain, Mileena forced herself to stand, feeling wobbly and exhausted but refused to let it show. She looked down, seeing that she was covered in bandages, but her clothes were torn, not leaving much covered… The ex-empress growled slightly in annoyance before trying to adjust what little she had left, as she worked, the door that the smell was coming from opened after a few tiny knocks.

"Um, Miss?" Came a small voice. Mileena didn't hear it, and kept trying to make due with what she had. When she turned around, she saw a small boy with long dark hair and glasses standing in the doorway, holding a tray with food on it. His eyes widened in shock as Mileena realized two things; one, she was practically naked on front of a child, and two, her face was exposed.

"Get out!" She shrieked with more volume than she knew she had. The tiny boy trembled, frozen in fear. Then seemed to begin stammering uncontrollably.

"Uh-oh-oh… it's the… it's the pancakes… he mumbled. You…you don't like them… I'll-I'll get you something else…"

Mileena was genuinely taken aback by this, what was this boy talking about? Then she saw the tray of food he was holding, and Mileena connected the dots, realizing that he was the one making the food she smelled…

"I..I'm sorry!" The boy exclaimed, terrified. However, what he said next Mileena wasn't expecting. "Damn it you retard! You can't do anything right! Can't make food… can't help Zee with the guest…what good are you?" He slunk out, head low, as if he had committed a horrible crime. Only as he left did Mileena get a better look at the newcomer, and was shocked to see he was a very young boy. She wanted to say something, but felt like saying anything might worsen the situation. She found some clothes sitting on a chair, and while she didn't understand how (or why) anyone in their right mind would wear such… horrific clothes, she knew it was better than nothing. About fifteen minutes later, the boy shuffled into her room with a different tray of food, simply set it on the nightstand, and wordlessly left not looking at Mileena the entire time, his demeanour was that of a terrified puppy. Once the door was closed again, Mileena looked to the food. She didn't care who made it, she was starving. The boy had brought her some sausages, eggs, bacon and milk. She hungrily tore into it with a reckless appetite. After a few minutes, the food was gone and she sat down on the bed again. Now realizing her body felt… clean. Well, clean aside from the dried blood, but there wasn't much she could do right now. Once again, she heard a knock on the door, followed by the boy's small voice.

"Uh, Miss? I brought you a housecoat… it's not much but it might keep you warm, and cover you…"

Very timidly the boy entered again, handing Mileena a light pink bundle, without another word, the boy turned around to go and let Mileena change. She got a better look at him now. He had jet black hair, much like her sisters, tied up in dreadlocks. He wore stained blue jeans and a white shirt; his skin seemed a bit darker than Jade's and he had brown glasses on his face.

"Come here child." Mileena suddenly said in a gentle tone, beckoning to the bedside. The boy froze in his tracks and paused, uncertain of what to do. Mileena quickly slipped the long, fluffy housecoat on, pulled her veil back up to hide her face, and waited. Slowly, the young boy made his way over, still looking down. "It's alright little one, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm sorry…" The boy mumbled. "I didn't mean to walk in on you like that, and I know the food wasn't that good, and-"

Mileena put three of her fingers on the boy's lips, silencing him. While in almost any other case, this would be seen as a calm, gentle gesture, Mileena did it more forcefully than she intended.

"None of that now." she said, her tone still regal and somewhat commanding. "Your food was delicious, and I was startled because I didn't know where I was or who you were."

The boy pushed his glasses back onto his face and replied:

"I'm Ezekiel."

"Hello Ezekiel, my name is Mileena." Mileena replied with a smile, she gently took the boy's hand and helped him up onto the bed. She rested a hand on his lap to try and show her friendliness, Tanya used to love when she… Tanya… what had happened to her!? A million shocked thoughts rushed through her mind like needle pricks, but she couldn't let herself get caught up in that right now. "This might seem like an odd question, but, where are we?"

"Oh. Uh, you're at my family farm." Ezekiel replied innocently, Mileena chuckled slightly realizing she should've been more specific. Ezekiel seemed to realize that as well. "It's… it's located in the town of Trinity. In Newfoundland and Labrador."

"Newfoundland and Labordor?" Mileena replied quizzically, never having heard of those places. "Are they part of a realm Outworld has not contacted yet?"

Now it was Ezekiel's turn to be confused, as he cocked his head and raised a brow.

"What's outworld?" He asked. "None of my books have ever mentioned a place with that name… Is it like, Australia or something?"

"_Australia_?" Mileena thought. "_Where have I heard… Kano." _Her mind snapped to the man from the land down under, he was originally from Earthrealm. _"Then somehow… I'm… I'm in Earthrealm!" _

"Miss Millina?" Ezekiel timidly spoke up again. "Are you okay?"

"Yes… yes, I'm fine little one." Mileena shook her head coming back to reality. A new plan forming. She had to place nice, learn all she could about this 'Trinity', and eventually find a way to either contact Outworld or return there herself. Mileena would once again rule her kingdom, and any who opposed her, she would enjoy feasting on.

And as for little Ezekiel? She may have found a new friend to take along with her, either to eat later, or maybe… just maybe… one day, rule Outworld. All that was clear to Mileena now, was that she had to play her cards very carefully. She was still weak, and none of her allies were here to help her. She was pulled from her thoughts again by another female voice calling:

"Ezekiel?"

"I'm in here! The lady is awake!" Ezekiel called back.

Without warning, a woman threw open the door and stared at Mileena. Then, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who are you, and what did you do to Ezekiel?!" She demanded.

**To be continued…**

**So, as someone who wasn't always the biggest Mileena player, I kind of understood why fans were angry at his absence from MK11 but the truth is, she ain't gonna be in the game. Just get over it. Anyhow, I had this weird idea and just started writing, let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

Mileena blinked, unsure of how to react to this new woman. She was about as tall as her, and dressed in a dark blue overcoat. Her hair seemed to be cut in a way that part of it covered her face. She grit her teeth before she spoke again, agitation in her voice;

"Let him go!"

"Zee! She's not gonna hurt me!" Ezekiel protested. "Sh..sh..she…she's just confused!"

"Ez, get over here." The woman ordered, concern now clear in her voice. "You don't know what it is."

"How _dare _you!" Mileena shouted, losing any sense of control. "I am Mileena! Empress of Outworld! You will address me as such!"

"Ez, you haven't seen what's under that mask, it's horrible. She's might hurt you."

That cause Mileena to pause for a second. She _HATED _when people brought attention to her Tarkatan genetics. Normally she'd simply slice their eyes out in retaliation, but right now, she knew she couldn't. She slowly began to make the motion to summon one of her weapons to threaten the woman. But she hadn't expected what happened next.

"She's not a monster!" Ezekiel shouted, surprising the older women. Mileena, due to the outburst, and the other woman reacted as if this was something she hadn't seen before. "Just leave her alone!" He paused to catch his breath before he continued: "Maybe she is a monster, I-I-I I don't know! But she's hurt Zee! We need to at least do what we can!"

The woman bit her lip and sighed before speaking again.

"Ezekiel, I'll hear her out, but I want you to come over here first." She said very calmly. Ezekiel looked up at Mileena, then to the woman, then back up to Mileena.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, seemingly upset with what he was doing, as he slowly climbed off of the bed and walked over to the woman. Mileena frowned slightly, annoyed that what may have been a bargaining chip was gone.

"…_is that all he is though?" _

The thought came out of nowhere, like an intruder to her mind. It caused Mileena to blink in surprise before quickly silencing the voice. Right now, she needed answers.

"Who are you?" The woman finally asked, her tone not one of agitation, but it wasn't clear if she was annoyed, angry or fearful.

"I am Mileena, daughter of Shao Kahn and Empress of Outworld." Mileena said, standing up refusing to let her weakened legs make her seem weak, she let a tiny smile form behind her mask when she saw Ezekiel's shocked reaction, followed by him bowing slightly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zion." Zion introduced herself, her face still clearly unsettled and uneasy. "Ezekiel is my little brother."

"Are you… are you the one who found me?" Mileena asked, allowing her tiredness to show a bit more to try and seem less intimidating.

"Yeah." Zion nodded. "There were sounds out near the field, and I assumed that the coyotes were trying to get to the chickens again, but when I got there, you were on the ground unconscious."

"Thank you." Mileena said sincerely. "I…I don't know how I got here."

"I guess that." Zion shrugged. "Er, no offense."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, no one present really knew what to say, until Mileena looked down to Ezekiel.

"Thank you for the food little one." She said kindly, before looking to Zion. "Your brother is very talented. You've taught him well."

"Heh. I wish I could take credit for that…" Zion rubbed the back of her head, chuckling slightly. "He learned that from his mom, I can barely make hot dogs without them catching on fire." She paused, biting her lip slightly before adding: "Would you like something to drink? I could put some tea on and we could try and figure out what's happening."

"That would… that would be good, thank you." Mileena nodded. "I have questions I think you might be able to answer."

"Same." Zion replied, leaving the room, Ezekiel following behind her. Mileena sat down on the small bed again and sighed deeply. Puzzled as to how she was alive. As far as she knew, the Sorcerer Tsung was dead, so he couldn't have been responsible. But who, or what, could've been responsible?

After a few minutes, Mileena quietly left the room and sat down at a table, with Zion sitting nearby.

"So, your name is Millennia?" Zion asked.

"Mileena." Mileena corrected.

"Okay, Mileena." Zion nodded. "It's clear you're not from around here, and you said that were 'Empress of Outworld' or something along those lines. Thing is, I've never heard of this 'Out World'. Could you explain what that is?"

"Hm. If I'm correct, we're on what's known as 'Earth' right?" Mileena asked with a raised brow.

"Y..yeah…?" Zion replied, confused. "We're on earth. Are you an alien or something?"

"Bear with me, as this may seem impossible, but I can prove to you it is." Mileena began. "I'm from a different realm, known as Outworld. It isn't in what you would call space, but it's outside of your reality all together. Another dimension to be exact."

Zion opened her mouth to respond, but was left in a shocked silence. Another… Dimension?! She couldn't be telling the truth… but at the same time, her face, it just wasn't… she couldn't…

"I understand it's a lot to process, but I promise you everything I'm saying is the truth." Mileena added. "There are forces that seem impossible, but are true, in my world, I was the ruler of the Outworld empire, and my subjects included a man who could conjure water from air, and the Prince of the Shokan's, a four-armed man who could breathe fire."

"Stop. I'm… I'm sorry. But I can't believe that." Zion said, shock and disbelief clear in her voice. "I…I don't know _what_ happened to you to end up here but…"

Zion stopped when Mileena pulled her mask down, revealing her Tarkatan face, before summoning one of her weapons.

"How…?"

"Like I said, there are things you may not understand, but in my home, this is considered normal, almost passé to some."

The two women sat in silence for a few more moments, until Zion spoke up again.

"Okay, I'm willing to believe to an extent that there's some sort of other dimensions out there." She began. "And in that world, you're their ruler. But how did you get _here?" _

"That's what I was hoping you could help me with, but from your reactions, I believe it's safe to say you've never seen magic or sorcery before." The half-Tarkatan stated, sighing slightly. "Regardless, I want to thank you for bringing me here, I don't know how I got here, but your assistance was much appreciated."

Before Zion could respond, a tray with two mugs was suddenly set on the table, getting their attention. Two mugs, as well as some sugar and small cream packets were set to the side. The two looked down at Ezekiel, who still seemed timid about being where he was. The tiny boy looked away awkwardly and quietly left the two.

"Is he alright?" Mileena asked.

"Ezekiel's a little shy is all." Zion replied, not seeming to want to say too much about him. "But back to you. Do you know of any way to contact anyone from your home?"

"No." The ex-empress shook her head.

"Is there any way you can contact your father?"

"He's dead."

Zion went silent, and Ezekiel looked over from where he was doing something, shock clear on his face.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…" Zion murmured.

"How could you? You just met me." Mileena replied with what could be described as a verbal shrug. "Regardless, I'll try and think of some way to get home, some of them will be glad to see me again." Mileena took a sip of her tea with a small smile, the warmth of the beverage reminding her of Tanya. But the brief happiness was quickly undercut by two questions: Was Tanya still alive? And how was she going to get home?

As of right now, she was somewhat thankful she was able to have some decent footing with Zion, and little Ezekiel couldn't be a problem if he tried, but at the same time, they couldn't help her get home, so she began to think about some of the people her father had done business with. There was Kano, so maybe she could somehow reach out to him and he could help her get back? That was a possibility, Kano had been helping her in an attempt to kill that false Kahn Kortal… There was also the gunslinger Erron Black who had served her father until he died, but now he worked for the pretender. The sorcerer was dead, so he was out of the picture, so who else could she call on? If any of the Earthrealm warriors she had met in the past saw her, it certainly wouldn't end well for her. Zion currently was distracted by some small device she had seen Kano use before, and wasn't paying attention to her, giving her a chance to get a better look at her surroundings. The house she was in seemed old yet oddly cozy. IT was clear it had stood for quite a while, and while some of the colours on the walls had faded to a sort of beige red, it worked in her opinion. This wasn't the palace like she was accustomed to, but this also wasn't the realm she was used to. Mileena began to think that what may have been a curse to some was actually a blessing to her. The home seemed relatively secluded, so she wouldn't have to worry about hiding constantly, and the two she had met weren't about to throw her out so long as she continued playing the confused traveler angle. Sure, Mileena began to wonder _why_ she said as much as she had about Outworld and her family, but she didn't think it would harm her. Or them. The home she had awoken in would be a fine place to rest and regain her strength, to take some time and gather herself before preparing to return and reclaim what was rightfully hers. Ezekiel seemed to have culinary talents, and Zion had the warrior's spirit in her, but that also made Mileena a bit wary. By her assumptions, Ezekiel would be far more helpful in explaining where she was and with helping her get a grasp on this new realm, but Zion could either be an enemy or an ally. She'd have to wait and see…

Zion felt extremely uneasy about their new 'house guest', not just because of the teeth (although to be fair that was a decent part of it) but furthermore that mythical, magical and potentially demonic side to this woman. She knew Ezekiel didn't see anything wrong with helping her, but Ez could be too pure for his own good. Something seemed off about this woman, but Zion couldn't quite say what. Still, if she didn't give them any trouble, Zion decided she could play nice.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours had passed since Mileena had woken up, and she had mostly kept to herself, not talking to either Zion or Ezekiel. Granted, it would be hard to blame her as she had quite literally come back from the dead… But regardless, what concerned Mileena was the fact that she genuinely had no idea how to get back home. Mileena stood on the back deck of the house, looking out over the view of the small farm. It was… mesmerizing to say the least. The ex-empress reasoned that to most of the humans in Earthrealm, this wouldn't be anything special. But when one lived in Outworld, and was surrounded by nothing but sand and scorching skies for your entire life, the calm but also vibrant colours seemed like an absolute wonder to one's eyes.

Inside, Zion was in the middle of a bit of a crisis. She had to go to work in about thirty minutes at a nearby boxing gym, but while normally Ezekiel would either stay home and feed the animals or come with her, the fact that there was essentially a lizard-human hybrid now in their home left her unsure of what to do. She didn't want to leave the newcomer home alone, and she _definitely _didn't want to leave Ezekiel alone with her. She also had to go to work, as she was covering for a friend's shift and no one could cover for her… so what was she going to do?

"_Okay, best-worst case scenario, she robs the house." _Zion mused to herself. _"Best-best case scenario, EZ's right and she's not violent. Worst-worst scenario…" _

She didn't even bother finishing that thought, shaking her head to clear it and sighing. Agh… what was she gonna do?! Why did her parents have to choose _this week _to go on vacation?!

"_Calm down Zion just think this through." _She mentally sighed. _"Could someone stop by and make sure nothing went wrong? Who? Tanya? No… Jessie? No… Kurtis?" _

"Maybe."

Zion was pulled from her thoughts when she saw her phone buzzing with the timer, telling her she needed to get ready for work.

"Ezekiel!" She called. "I need to talk to you!"

Back outside, Mileena gaze looked over the green and blue landscape, looking at the oddly calming green grass and trees, the sun was setting, but the sky was still a pretty blue, with some small hints of orange visible.

"Miss Millena?"

Turning her head, Mileena smiled at Ezekiel, who was looking up at her.

"Um… Zion wanted me to tell you that she has to go to work for a bit. So… I…I think it's just you and me."

"Where is she going?" Mileena asked.

"Uh… w..work." Ezekiel replied.

"Alright then." Mileena nodded. _"Interesting… perhaps Ezekiel can help me get a stable grip on my current standings." _

The two stood for a few more moments in silence, Ezekiel looked up at Mileena, then over the deck railing. Noticing that she seemed to be looking at the fields, and the slightly reddish-blue sky. Ezekiel cocked his head in confusion.

"Um… do you not have this in Outworld?" He timidly asked.

"No." Mileena replied, her tone saddened. "Outworld was supposedly once a prosperous land, but due to the negligence of the idiots who tried to kill my father, it's been left a desert wasteland."

"M'sorry…" Ezekiel mumbled. Mileena looked down with a confused look.

"What are you apologizing for?" She asked, rather bluntly.

"I didn't mean to make you sad…"

"It's alright little one." Mileena smiled down at him from behind her mask. "It may not have had the beauty that this world has, but it was still home."

"_As this will be, once I return to Outworld." _She mentally added.

Ezekiel seemed to turn his attention to something else. Walking over to a small shed, then dragging a bucked over to an enclosed space. Mileena watched as a number of chickens came wandering out of the small shed, eating the feed he was leaving on the ground. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her stomach growl, she needed to eat soon… She wasn't sure she could show Ezekiel her Tarkatan tendencies just yet. The last thing she wanted was to traumatize the only person in this whole realm who didn't seem to trust her at several arms' lengths.

"Oh. Hi Crook." Ezekiel said, Mileena raised a brow, but realized who (or what) he was talking to. One of the chickens seemed to hobble its way out. One of its legs seemed twisted and its wing seemed small than its other. It was clear to Mileena that this animal should've died long ago, but Ezekiel may have been keeping it alive. Perhaps when he was asleep, she could get something to eat then…

Ezekiel finished feeding the chickens and seemed to check a specific spot in the fence, before he made his way back to the house.

"Um. What would you like for supper?" Ezekiel asked, poking his head back out. Mileena was genuinely taken aback by the question.

"Excuse me?"

"I was gonna make some food. But uh… is there something you'd like?"

"Whatever you make should be fine." Mileena calmly answered. Ezekiel nodded and went back inside.

"_He's too kind for his own good." _Mileena thought. _"Too trusting… he'd be torn apart in Outworld. But maybe… maybe he doesn't need physical strength to be useful. I believe he's the most useful person as of right now."_

Meanwhile, Zion was hanging up some punching bags at work. For the past eleven years, she had been working at Bad Bastich Boxing, a training gym for boxers. She had seen all sorts of fighters come through here, and she was usually the one in charge of figuring out what they would be good at, or what they needed to practice. As the metal chains rattles, signifying they were in place, Zion took a drink. She was never a fan of lugging the punching bags around…

"Hey! Zion!" A voice Zion hadn't heard in ages called.

"Kabal!? Is that you!?" She exclaimed, her face practically splitting from the grin on her face when she saw her old friend. Walking up towards her was Kabal, wearing his typical coat-hoodie and beige pants with a hoodie tied around his waist. The two high-fived and began an air arm wrestle. Both their arms were shaking as they grinned.

"What's the matter Z? Farm life makin' you soft?" Kabal taunted.

"I thought after you got thrown in the slammer you were too busy making toilet wine to keep up your strength." Zion smirked in response.

Finally, the two let go, both groaning in disappointment at their stalemate.

"So, like… when'd you get out?" Zion asked, still in disbelief that her friend was here. "Did they finally overturn your sentence?"

"About two weeks ago." Kabal replied. "They re-evaluated the case, they concluded that the situational evidence wasn't enough, and I got time off for good behaviour."

Well, it was more like the Black Dragons had found the warden's family, and made a bunch of _EXTREMLY _horrific threats in order to get him to release Kabal on 'Good Behaviour', despite the fact he had broken most of the bones of his past fifteen cell mates. That wasn't his fault, they all thought they could take him.

"Really? You didn't keep everyone up all night as you cried yourself to sleep?" Zion smirked.

"Oh, piss off." Kabal rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I met people more insane in the slammer than Skitso."

"Hey!" Zion snapped, angered. "He has friggin' dyscalculia and anarthria literalis! Leave him alone!"

"Right… sorry." Kabal muttered. "I forgot… You don't like people making jokes about that. But he doesn't have an issue with it for some reason."

"I don't think he knows what you're making fun of." Zion scowled. "And I'd really appreciate it if you stopped telling him those jokes."

"A'right, a'right." Kabal said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'll stop. Geez, fine."

"Whatever. It's great to see you again." Zion shook her head.

"It's great to be out! Seriously, you have no idea how good even the worst meal tastes after prison food, I could eat Jack-In-The-Box and it would taste like gourmet food compared to the slop in the slammer."

"Wow. Didn't think that was possible." Zion blinked. "Hey, you still got that super speed?"

Kabal blinked, then ran several dozen laps around the boxing ring in a matter of seconds, papers and towels being picked up and strew around like a hurricane had hit the place.

"Hey… do you think you could do me a favour?" Zion asked after a few moments of silence.

Back home, Ezekiel had made chicken breasts, and handed Mileena a plate. He sat across form her at the table, and the two began their meal.

"This is very well made." Mileena remarked. "You are quite talented."

Ezekiel looked up, then let out a small 'Eep!' and looked back down. Mileena was confused at first, as to what had frightened him, but then she remembered.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, pulling the veil back up over her mouth. "I forgot to tell you…"

"N..no… I'm sorry…" Ezekiel muttered. "I shouldn't have reacted… like that…"

Mileena silently agreed. She hated when people pointed out her half-breed form. In Outworld, she could simply kill anyone who dared to recoil in fear, but Ezekiel was a child. Also, it was clear he had never seen anything beyond Earthrealm, so he most likely didn't know any of this was even possible. Still, there was a slightly awkward overhanging feeling to the rest of the meal, and not much else was said.

After dinner, Ezekiel had disappeared to get something, and returned a few moments later with a large book that he set on the table and opened.

"So, we're here." He said, pointing to a small dot marked 'Trinity'. "All of this is Nova Scotia eh." He traced a larger circle, encompassing multiple towns. "And all of this is Canada."

Mileena was left in silent amazement. One of the few things that had never been brought to Outworld was a map of Earthrealm. Now, she saw just how much land there was. There were countries and places she had never heard of, it seemed like the whole world was so much more than the bits she had seen during the invasion. There was one place that caught her attention, a large spot marked Australia.

"How far is this place form here?" She asked, and Ezekiel blinked as if she was crazy.

"Uh… about 10,904 miles." He finally answered. "Why?"

"How do you travel?"

"Um… we travel by car… or train… or plane…"

"How long would it tak to get there by those modes?"

"A plane would take… maybe a day and a half?" Ezekiel thought it over. "And I don't think it's possible to drive or take a train there. Do you know someone there?"

"Only in passing, but he may be able to help me get home." Mileena answered.

"Do you have his number?"

"His what?" Mileena asked confused.

"His number… I could call him." Ezekiel slowly said, then realized she probably didn't know what he was talking about. "We…we have this thing, they're called phones. And you put a number in and it connects you to whoever has that number, regardless of where they are."

Mileena remained silent in absolute surprise. What sort of sorcery was this?! Not even the Emperor or that cursed Shang Tsung had a device that could do that… Granted, they could open portals everywhere, but still.

"No… I don't…" She finally frowned. "And he wasn't someone who would probably give it out."

"Oh. Uh…" Ezekiel trailed off, trying to think of something.

"It's fine Ezekiel." Mileena finally said after a few moments. "I'll figure something out."

Ezekiel nodded, and began flipping through the pages, letting Mileena get a better look at the pictures and maps, showing her what the major locations in Earth were. Neither of them noticed or heard the whoosh of someone running by, looking in through some of the windows.

"Son of a bitch…" Kabal whispered, his eyes growing wider and wider by the moment. "I thought she was dead…"

Kabal watched the ex-ex-alive-empress and Ezekiel looking at a book. Every now and then, Mileena cast a glance over to the tiny boy. She seemed to be genuinely friendly to him… or she was acting.

"The kid has no idea what he's gotten himself into…" Kabal muttered. Still, Zion had asked him to check on Ezekiel, and make sure their guest wasn't hurting him. And to his shock, she wasn't. He decided to head back and let Zion know everything was okay. Then he would have to make a few calls… there were a few who needed to know about this…

Mileena quickly looked back when she heard something take off, but saw nothing. She shook her head and went back to studying the maps and locations Ezekiel's book described.

A few hours later, Ezekiel was clearly tiring. Mileena decided to let him sleep, and told him that she was going to bed herself. Ezekiel led her back to the room she had woken up in and told her she could sleep here. It was a kind gesture for someone to make after only knowing someone for a day, and Mileena thanked him.

About half an hour later, Mileena looked out the window, seeing that the sun had completely set, and the sky was a blackish-blue, slowly opening the door, she crept out and through the main room she had been in. Ezekiel was nowhere to be seen, and when she slowly looked into the next room, she saw him sleeping. Grinning wickedly, she slunk to the back door and summoned the small bit of power she had re-gained and teleported outside. Making her way cautiously through the backyard, Mileena came to the small enclosure where she had seen Ezekiel feeding the chickens. To her surprise, 'Crook' was lying on her side in the middle of the open space. Mileena licked her lips as she slowly reached in, the chicken realized a second too late what was happening, and tried to cry out in fear, but Mileena quickly snapped its neck, silencing the bird. The wings flapped for a few more moments, then stopped as the bird went limp. Mileena grinned, knowing she had something filling to fill her stomach with, but she also realized she needed to think of a reason why Crook was gone. She remembered that spot EZ had been checking earlier, and upon close inspection, she found that some animal had clearly broken in here before. She looked at the corpse she was holding, then an idea formed. She stuffed the bird through the hole, leaving a slight blood stain. If she had to, she could always repay Ezekiel with gold when she returned home…

Mileena dashed off as quickly as she could towards the nearby woods. Once she was sure she was far enough away, she messily tore into the chicken. Like a depraved animal she feasted on the blood and meat of the bird until it was gone.

"Mm… delicious…" She muttered to herself. Now feeling somewhat stronger, Mileena made her way back to the farm house she was staying at. As she approached the backdoor, she wondered something: Did she _have _to go back? She could just… take off, and find someone who could get her in touch with her allies and-

"_What are you thinking?" _She chided herself. _"Sure, you don't have the supply of blood you're used to, but you have a place to hide out, a young boy who's willing to help and teach you, and no one wants you dead. Yet. Why throw that away?" _

She teleported back into the house and realized something, her face was covered in blood. She made her way to another room and looked around. A small light was illuminating the room enough for her to see, to her right was an odd-looking bucket with water in it. It seemed like a seat and-

"_Oh, right."_ Mileena blinked, remembering what it was. _"Don't wash your face in that."_

She saw a small elevated bowl with two golden handles in front of her. Turning one, water began flowing. Mileena quickly put together how it worked and washed her face with warm water, taking good care to not leave any bloodstains behind.

Mileena had finished washing the blood off of her face, and was heading back to the room Ezekiel had set up for her. But paused when she saw Ezekiel asleep on the couch near the front door, it was clear he had tried to stay up to say hi to Zion, but he had lost the battle with sleep. Mileena let a smile form on her face, she may be a blood-thirsty empress who would kill all who stood in her way from regaining what was rightfully hers… but there was something kind of sweet about Ezekiel, not that anyone other than her _ever _needed to know that. She walked over and pulled the blanket above him over him, smiling when she saw him turn over and seem to contently keep sleeping.

She returned to her room and got back into the bed she was given. She felt at least somewhat full, and that was better than the alternative. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.

_Somewhere, at an unknown location… (Top secret, so shut up)_

"You're pissin' with me." A man remarked flatly.

"I'm serious dude, it's her." Kabal insisted. "It's Shao Kahn's mutant daughter."

"That bug woman killed 'er a few years back. There's no possible way she's kickin'."

"I'm not lying." Kabal said in a flat tone now. "It's. Her."

"Okay, what do you want me t'do with this news?" The man blinked, taking a swig from a beer.

"Do I have to spell this out for you Kano?" Kabal growled. "Shao. Kahn. Is. _ALIVE._ Mileena. Is. _ALIVE._ What do you think he'd be willing to give us if we brought them back together?"

Kano was about to reply with a sarcastic remark, but fell silent as he thought over what Kabal was saying. Ever since that time witch Kronika had messed with things, people weren't the same… Hell, Kano was _dead_. Then one day… he wasn't. Same went for Shao Kahn, the bugger just appeared, and was now re-forming his army. Mileena hadn't been one of the ones brought back… at least to Outworld.

"Where is she?" Kano finally asked, and Kabal frowned.

"That's the problem." Kabal sighed. "She's with a friend of mine… and her little brother."

**A.N. So, I'm messing with the timelines. Effectively, MK 11's story happened… up until the ending. Due to reasons that'll be explained later, the big final battle never happened, but everyone who was dead is back. Why? Cause it serves the story. Hope you're enjoying it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Zion sighed in annoyance, she looked at the Ex-Empress and her little brother sitting at a table talking. Admittedly, she didn't believe that the Tarkatater, was it? Whatever. She didn't believe that Mileena would hurt Ezekiel, either due to the fact that Ezekiel was her only 'friend' here, or that Zion would kick her ass.

"_Okay… maybe I should cut her some slack." _The boxer thought. _"She hasn't hurt him, or you, yet. If what she says is true, then she's also lost her family." _

"_Yes, but she's also… whatever she is. The teeth and weapons…" _She also reasoned. _"And of all the homes she could've ended up at… it just HAD to be mine!" _

She watched as Ezekiel climbed off a chair and left to do something, probably feed the cats… Well, might as well try… Walking over to her table, she sat down across from Mileena, who was clearly awkward about something.

"Is everything alright?" She finally asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Zion nodded. "I just… I had some questions I was wondering if you could answer."

Mileena seemed to hesitate, but finally came to some sort of conclusion.

"Alright."

"You told me a little bit about where you were from, it was… Outworld?"

"Correct."

"So, you told me it was some sort of other dimension, does that mean that everyone in Outworld has the abilities you have?"

"No." Mileena shook her head. She knew what Zion was _really _asking. "There were many warriors, many beings with unique gifts and powers."

"Right." Zion nodded in understanding. "When I found you… you said something about… Kit? Kyty? I… I really wish I wrote it down. You were mumbling about something, and someone named Tanny."

"Tanya." Mileena said, a smile coming to her face. "She was a friend of mine, she was… she had a lot in common with me, we were both victims of circumstance."

"Okay." Zion nodded. _"This woman is crazy." _

"Since you don't seem capable of asking, allow me to explain this for you." Mileena spoke up, sounding more annoyed than anything. "What you refer to as 'Trinity' is part of what is known as 'Earthrealm'. There are five other major realms that used to be fused into one until there was some sort of battle millennia ago. I come from Outworld, for the longest time, travel to Earthrealm was impossible."

"Okay, why?"

"My father…" Mileena began but had to quickly think about how to word this. "My father was the emperor of Outworld. He unified the five realms and brought them back together, allowing us to traverse freely. Due to the cosmic laws put in place by the Elder Gods, we could not travel or invade or even try to work with a realm if there was not an agreement or victory. Your world refused any offers of alliance, so we were left unable to unite the realms."

Mileena stopped her explanation and looked at Zion and Ezekiel's reactions. It was clear Ezekiel was still in wonder, despite her having explained some of this before, and Zion clearly didn't want to believe this. But the woman was having a hard time figuring out how to disprove this.

"Okay, so… how do you get home?" Zion asked. "Is there some way we can… Wait… we've had this conversation." She sighed.

"Indeed." Mileena nodded. "I don't know how to get in touch with anyone from my home."

Zion nodded, seemingly understanding.

"Okay… Hey, I forgot to ask. How's your side? When I found you, you were bleeding pretty badly."

Mileena blinked, then lifted up the front of the borrowed housecoat and looked down at the bandages on her abdomen. How long had those been there? D'vorah hadn't stabbed her… She and Tanya hadn't sparred and injured one another… In fact, the wound seemed old, more likely a wound gotten at a past time, but reopened when she passed out in the woods-

"_Kotal." _Mileena blinked, remembering suddenly the pretender who called himself Kahn, and how he had stabbed her with his dagger.

"It feels fine, thank you for tending to it." Mileena answered. "Normally I could take care of it myself, but…"

"You were passed out to a point where I thought you were dead." Zion replied. "Like, I tried a few times to wake you up, but nothing worked. If it wasn't for your pulse, I would've either called the cops or an ambulance."

The two sat in silence, until Zion's phone rang and she sighed.

"Sorry, gotta take this." She said, leaving the room.

Mileena looked around again, having seen this room, and some of outside, but there was still a lot she hadn't seen. There was her room, this room, a room with two chairs, a couch and some other things, the front entrance way, and presumably rooms for Zion and Ezekiel. There were a few doors she hadn't seen yet, but figured she would… eventually.

She walked back out onto the deck and looked around, seeing Ezekiel sitting near something, working on whatever it was he was doing. As she approached, she saw he seemed to be working in a garden.

"Hello there." She said as she approached. Ezekiel seemed to jump slightly, but smiled when he turned around.

"Hi." He said with a wave. "Just… just working on my mom's… garden."

"Mm." Mileena nodded before seeing he seemed to be working on a rather sickly-looking plant, digging a small hole in the soil and re-burying it. He seemed to be setting some sticks up against it to support it and gave it water. "Why don't you just pull it out? It clearly isn't going to survive."

"Well… maybe it will." Ezekiel replied. At first, Mileena assumed it was his innocence speaking, until he continued. "Sometimes a plant can't grow because of where it's planted. It might not get enough s..sun or water. Sometimes you just need to take it away from where you think it would best grow, and give it a second chance."

"Perhaps." Mileena shrugged. "But if all your crops are weak, and that doesn't work? What then?"

"Well… you burn them." He admitted with a shrug. "The ashes created rich soil to allow new life to grow. Even some of those sickly plants can grow strong if given the right care and attention."

Mileena watched, thinking over what he said, until she noticed him batting at some sort of insect.

"I hate these bugs… they just kill everything and live for themselves."

"Very true." Mileena nodded. "There were disgusting insects back in Outworld, one's big enough to pose a threat to a human."

Back inside, Zion laughed as she continued her conversation.

"So… how's the trip been?" She asked.

"It's been wonderful! Your father and I are questioning why we don't live here!" Zion's mother laughed in response. "Is everything all right at home? Is Ezeke okay?"

"_Aside from the weird monster-woman who looks like she might eat him. Yeah. All's good." _Zion thought but answered with: "All's fine here. He hasn't had an issue for a good while now, last I saw he was working in the garden."

"That… that's good." Her mother replied seeming relieved. "You know if anything happens to call us and we'll be home by nightfall, right?"

"Relax mom, he's doing great." Zion said, trying to reassure her mom. She loved her parents, but her mom sometimes believed she was younger than Ezekiel, and that Ezekiel was half his age. "If anything happens, Jackal told me he'd drop whatever he was doing and be here to help."

"Jackal? Zion, you know what he's done in the past!" Her mother said, clearly fearful for her kids and somewhat annoyed.

"Well, none of us are perfect. You included." Zion replied a bit harsher than she intended. "…and Jackal isn't like his brother. I kinda wish you'd stop comparing the two, what happened was because of his _brother_."

There was an awkward, almost sour air to the silence that followed, but Zion swore she heard her dad backing up her claim about Jackal.

"Well… it was great talking to you." Her mother finally said, the energy and warmth returning. "I'd love to talk to Ezekiel, but we have to go! Tell him I love him!"

"I will." Zion chuckled.

"You too, Zizi!"

"Mom…"

She heard her mother laugh before hanging up. Zion sighed, then shook her head with a grin.

Back outside, Mileena looked around, noticing a target with a few stray arrows embedded in it.

"Was this you? Or your sister?" She asked.

"That? Oh, that was Zion." Ezekiel answered. "I've tried, but I'm not really good at it. She's decent, but likes to claim she's better than she really is." He paused for a moment, then added: "Please don't tell her I said that."

Mileena let a genuine laugh out, probably the first one in ages. She asses how far the target was, then with a flick of her wrist, she summoned a sai, and threw it into a dead-center bullseye. She repeated the action two more times before stopping, feeling satisfied with her skills, and happy she still had her edge. When she turned around, she saw Ezekiel looking in bewildered amazement.

"You…just…I…What?"

Mileena laughed again, and summoned another sai, before passing it to Ezekiel, who adjusted his glasses and looked it over.

"Have you ever thrown a blade before?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"No…"

"Would you like me to teach you?"

Zion watched the two from the kitchen. She had felt the need to dive through the window when she saw Mileena start throwing weapons out from nowhere, but when she saw her talking and handing one to Ezekiel, she decided to keep watching, but hold off on getting the gun.

"Hey. Z." A voice came from the other end of the line she was currently in a conversation with. "You there?"

"W..yeah." She shook her head coming back to reality. "Hey, maybe you could help me with something."

"I'm not moving your couch again. That thing is _way_ too heavy to seem so small."

"What? No. It's something concerning Ez." Zion replied, sighing slightly.

"The kid have another breakdown? You need me to call Jackal? Or do you need me over there?"

"No… it's… Look, Kabal… I think Ez made a friend. Finally." Zion admitted.

"Awesome."

"But… I don't think this friend is someone he should hand around, he might get hurt or be influenced negatively by them."

"You won't admit it, but you have a TON of your mom in you." Kabal remarked slyly.

"I'm being serious!" Zion snapped. "He… they… I don't know what to do. Ez seems genuinely happy around them. His stutter has died down, he seems to be opening up… I don't want to take that from him!"

"I'm gonna be brutally honest here Zi. If you don't like it, tough s%&!." Kabal said matter-of-factly. "I think the real issue is you're afraid. Not of Ezekiel being influenced negatively, but afraid that whatever happens is entirely your fault. I think you're afraid of letting go, of letting the kid grow up. I get why, but I think you need to take a step back, and maybe let the kid decide for himself."

"If this was _any _other example, I'd agree with you. But this friend… she's…"

"_A half-breed mutant who eats people and is from another dimension." _Kabal thought.

"Look, would it make you feel better if I stopped by? Maybe I talked to her and made sure everything was oaky?" He asked. Admittedly he just wanted a picture to show Kano so they could pass it along to their Outworld contact.

Zion didn't reply, she wasn't sure how to, really. Was she really afraid of letting Ez grow up? I mean… kinda, but this was also a woman who claimed to be from another world and had a piranha mouth, so…

"Nah, I'll be fine." She finally answered. "I think I just need to stop stressing about everything."

"Again, I can help with that."

"No." Zion said firmly. "The last thing I want is Ez eating your brownies."

"You mean eating them again?" Kabal asked.

"WHAT?" Zion said, suddenly snapping to anger.

"Oh, would ya look at the time! Bye!"

Beep.

"Good!" Mileena said with a smile. Sure, the sai had hit the edge of the target, but it had hit the target at least. She adjusted Ezekiel's arms to help him have the best throwing form. "Now, everyone has their own way of throwing blades, so don't feel like you need to only try this."

Ezekiel nodded and focused, throwing the blade and hitting the fourth ring on the target.

"Wonderful!" Mileena smiled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey! Ez!" Zion called, and the two looked to where Zion was looking at the chicken coop. "Was there a wolf last night?"

"…I dunno." Ezekiel frowned in reply. "Is everyone there?"

"Uh… yeah, except crook." Zion called. "I think a fox or something must've finally gotten her."

Looking up at the ex-empress, Zion asked:

"Did you see anything last night?"

"No." Mileena lied, blinking. "I was asleep the whole time."


	5. Chapter 5

Mileena looked at herself in the mirror, she felt genuinely uncertain of herself for the first time in her entire life. She had never cared about what people thought concerning her appearance, but now, she suddenly felt very conscious, and confused. The reason why she felt this way was due to the fact that Zion had given her some clothes to wear instead of her torn garment and housecoat she was borrowing. Now, she was wearing a royal blue shirt that seemed to loosely fit her, but according to Zion, this was what Earthrealm women wore. It wasn't the odd fit that made her somewhat uncomfortable, but the colour… Still, the 'track pants' she had been given felt _amazing _and Mileena mentally noted that she'd have the seamstress' in Outworld make her some.

But above all, looking at herself, Mileena felt… Human.

This feeling was one that she didn't know how to react to if she was honest with herself. She was a half-breed, and she was proud of both heritages she embodied, regardless of whether or not some might say she was a 'monster'. But in these simple clothes, she didn't feel like a warrior, she didn't feel like an Empress, she felt like… What did she feel like? She felt like, well, Mileena. This new feeling of 'slowing down' was one she knew, but always ignored, believing that there was always more to do to secure her kingdom. Now, she didn't have much of a choice…

She left her room, feeling like today would be as good a day as any to move beyond the small part of the farm she had seen, and try to figure out what her surroundings were in case of the need for a fast escape ever arose. She left the small house and took in the morning air, it was nice, relaxing… she wished that the air in Outworld was like this, but usually it was full of the stench of blood, war and other things. She walked over to the railing on the deck and leaned on it, looking around as she had done in the few days prior. Her mind went back to what Ezekiel had told her, about the different locations across 'Earth' as it was known here. Despite her father's best efforts, this realm was never one they conquered, or even had many contacts in. She also reasoned that the few contacts who _may _have been here were most likely dead at this point.

Ezekiel was finishing up with the morning run through the chicken houses to leave food for them when Zion walked by.

"Everything alright?" She asked casually. She knew something wasn't though, and needed to figure out what.

"Y..yeah." Ezekiel nodded. Zion stopped and frowned at him, the way he stuttered told a very different story.

"What's wrong?" She bluntly asked, her mind entering protective guardian mode in pre-emptive fear and anger over Mileena possibly having hurt him.

"Um… are you mad at me?" Ezekiel quietly asked, not meeting her gaze. Zion was taken aback by his question and got down to his level and smiled sadly at him.

"What are you talking about? Why would I be mad at you?" She asked, she was genuinely confused and curious as to why Ezekiel would be upset.

"Uh…b..be..becasue of…" Zion trailed off, trying not to look up at the deck. Zion however, didn't need to look back to understand what he was getting at.

"Hey. EZ. Look at me." Zion frowned. "If I seem unhappy with you and Mileena talking, that's not true. But I don't want you getting hurt, while she doesn't seem like she's going to hurt you, I'm still your sister. I'm just trying to make sure your safe."

"Do you not like her?" Ezekiel asked.

"…I don't know." Zion sighed. "I don't trust her implicitly, but I don't distrust her either. Look, she's from another dimension. That alone should give you reason to be hesitant."

"But she showed up here near death! Sh..she's not a bad person…"

Zion sighed, this wasn't unusual behaviour for Ezekiel. She could tell that Mileena hadn't been trying to manipulate him to think this stuff, and he was just a very compassionate person. Compassionate to a fault really. Zion smiled and ruffled his hair playfully.

"It's okay EZ, just… keep being you." She finally said. Ezekiel nodded with a smile. Zion kept on walking, casting a quick glance up to Mileena who gave a look back to her. It was hard to tell what the Half-Tarkatan was thinking about right now.

Over the next hour, Mileena walked about the property, looking at the farmyard. Off on one side there was a building that had a faint smell of vegetables, and a smaller building that she could hear the sounds of chickens wandering around in. She made a quick note that she probably couldn't keep eating the chickens… For some reason, Mileena was rather intrigued by everything, she knew farmers in Outworld to be peasants, the lowest-class of citizens. She hadn't given them much thought, but now, there was something oddly relaxing about where she was. Finally, she came to the end of the road that lead to a dark black path with yellow lines on it. She looked around then turned and headed back towards the farm house. When she arrived, she found Ezekiel working in the small garden again and walked past, watching him trimming parts of the plants that seemed unhealthy.

"Ezekiel." She said as she walked towards him.

"Hm? Oh… Hi Miss Mileena." Ezekiel said when he realized who was behind him.

"I've met you and your sister, but is there anyone else who lives around here?" Mileena asked. "I'd like to know if there will be anyone I need to explain myself too."

"Well, there's… uh…" The small boy thought it over. "Our parents are out of the country, so… they're not here… Zion has some friends at work who stop by sometimes, but that's really it. I don't have many friends."

Mileena felt… what… why did she feel pity? Not just that, why did she feel this kind of pity? This wasn't the usual pity for a fool who believed they could defeat her, and found themselves broken and begging for their life at her feet, this was a type of pity for someone she cared for… Tanya was the only person she had ever felt this type of pity for…

"Hm. Alright then." The Empress nodded, cutting her thoughts off. _"There must be someone who can get a message to my followers… Or maybe the people here could become reserves in the upcoming battle… Father always stressed the importance of having as many warriors at your back as possible." _

"Oh yeah, there's Zion's friend Kabal, and-" Ezekiel began.

"Now don't we look on point!" A male's voice suddenly shouted, genuinely startling Mileena. She felt herself ripped from her thoughts and thrown face-first back to reality. "How you doin' little buddy?!"

Mileena looked around in confusion until she saw a man crouching on the house rooftop looking down with an almost comically goofy grin. The first thing that caught Mileena's attention was his hair… it… How could she explain it!?

"It's been too long dude! Whatcha been rollin' with lately!?"

The man stood up and jumped off the roof, landing on the deck before flipping over the side of it and landing on the ground a few feet away from the two, his scarf flapping as he fell. Ezekiel looked up with excitement clear on his face.

"Hey, Zion! It's been a- you're not Zion." The man began with a grin before cutting himself off and blinking in confusion at Mileena.

"Mileena? This is my friend, Jackal." Ezekiel said with a smile.

"Mileena?" Jackal remarked with a raised brow. "Huh. Ain't seen you round town recently."

"She's from out of town." Ezekiel quickly said.

"_Jackal?" _Mileena thought. _"As in… the animal? Or a moral-less vagabond who enjoys messing with people?"_

"Well, that was my second guess. Right behind Zion's older sister." Jackal shrugged.

"_Second one." _

"Where we..were you Jack? You haven't been by in months!" Ezekiel asked, curious.

"Heh, me and my bro were dealin' with some stuff. I didn't have time to stop by and check in on ya. But stuff finally cleared up, sooo…" Jackal explained, ending with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, I'm here now."

Mileena felt a few types of energy radiating off this man. One of them being 'I-Have-No-Idea-What-I'm-Doing', another being 'I-Have-No-Idea-What-I'm-Doing-But-I-Can-Pull-This-Off'. She had to admit, she kind of admired it. She knew the benefits of deception, and Jackal seemed to have a smooth mastery of it.

"Listen, I'm passin' through and was wonderin' if you wanted to come with. I'm heading down to Midnight Smoothies and wanted to know if you wanted to come." Jackal explained, then looked to Mileena. "You too."

"Midnight… Smoothies?" Mileena repeated, somewhat confused by what the second word was. She wished she hadn't, as Jackal's look was one of deep questioning.

"Drinks." Ezekiel said. Mileena thought it over, then nodded. Sure, if they were heading to a populated town, people might question her veil, or have negative reactions if they saw her face, but she got the feeling that anyone who _did _see her face would probably write it off as something Jackal-related. On top of that, this would be a good time to get a better understanding of where she had found herself, and could potentially find something of use to her.

"Sweet… Let's cruise!" Jackal flashed the pair a toothy grin, the sunlight reflecting off of his sunglasses. He walked off, Ezekiel following behind him. There was something eccentric about the way he _walked_ as well as talked. He was almost entertaining in a bizarre way. Mileena blinked in confusion as she looked at the dark red cube-like carriage that was now in front of the house, its doors missing. Jackal and Ezekiel got into it, with Ez sitting in the back. Mileena followed suit, slowly getting in beside Jackal and looking at the odd contraption, seeing all sorts of technology that she didn't have the first idea what it was for or what it did. She noticed the two boys pulling some sort of belt over then and attaching it to something, and Mileena followed suit, even though she was confused, she refused to show it. There was a loud roar, and the vehicle began moving. Mileena's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Jackal essentially controlling this odd contraption as if it was second nature. Her confusion and wonder didn't go unnoticed by Jackal, who looked to Ez briefly, but didn't get an answer to his unasked question. Messing with the radio, Jackal muttered something under his breath about the terrible selection of music these days, until he finally found something that seemed to put him in a good mood.

"Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green- Ahhh, won't you take me home… yeah yeah…" Jackal sang along to a song. Mileena watched the man somewhat questioningly, wondering what compelled him to act this way… Oh well, if this was how he acted, she may have to put up with it for the time being.

She watched the scenery begin to change, the green hills and scattered trees seemed to gradually fade away, the surroundings becoming plainer, until the mundane scenery began to fade away and buildings began to appear, and Jackal guided the vehicle into the small town. There were many houses and a large building with a pointed tower above it all and everything seemed to rest next to a sizable body of water. That was what really caught the Ex-Empresses' attention. Back in Outworld, the most she had seen was a small oasis that she had briefly stayed near during a time of rest between campaigns with Tanya, and she remembered the Edenian had been entranced by the crystal blue water. But this… this was unlike what she thought possible. Sure, she knew of oceans and lakes, and had seen and traveled across them, but they were always saturated with filth and stained with blood and monstrous remains. This seemed tranquil almost like a painting. There was a beauty unlike what she had expected a body of water could possibly be, and as they rode past it, she found her gaze following along, across the water to the hills and land across the bay.

"_So, this is the town of Trinity…" _She thought to herself, looking about. _"It's… beautiful. Perhaps this could be where I establish my rule once Outworld and Earthrealm and under my control as they should be." _

"_Damn Ez, what kinda girl did you land?!" _Jackal wondered, casting a brief glance to Mileena. _"I didn't expect you t'be into women this much older than you… Maybe I misjudged you. Or maybe Zion has… Nah… she's sweet for my brother…" _

Mileena had been so caught up in the sights that she didn't notice the vehicle stop. The two boys got out and headed towards a nearby building, until Ezekiel stopped and walked back to the jeep. Mileena felt someone shake her arm and looked down, seeing Ezekiel holding her hand, trying to get her attention.

"Miss Mileena?" He said, looking up at her. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yes. I'm fine Ezekiel." She nodded, following the two towards the store. When she entered, she was a bit confused by the stylistic choice of the colours used to decorate the walls surrounding them. It was a weird mixture of tallow, pink and purple. Why was everything reminding her of the ones she lost!? Was she actually in the Netherrealm? And now was forced to be eternally reminded of those she lost? She sighed quietly, looking around the building, seeing the list of the flavours of whatever a 'smoothie' was. They seemed to be made of all sorts of fruits, some of which she recognized, and others she didn't know what they were. While Jackal and Ezekiel seemed to be talking to a woman, she finally found one that she figured could be decent, a mixture of passion fruit, banana and dragon fruit. She took a seat next to Ezekiel at a counter and waited. She noticed Ezekiel giving her a concerned look and smiled at him under her veil.

"Are you okay?" Ezekiel asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Yes, little one. I'm fine." Mileena nodded. "I'm… just a bit confused."

Ezekiel blinked then nodded in understanding.

"So, what should I know about this town?" She asked, looking out the windows at the town around her.

"W..well, the town tends to be pretty quiet, every year we have a festival… but I've never really gone to them before. I like watching the coast for whales and stuff, but it's kinda a small place, so I don't really know what to say."

Mileena smiled slightly at the boy, he really seemed to be trying his best to explain things, and it was a good explanation. She was briefly startled when Jackal retuned with a tray. He passed the drinks around and she tired the drink, hiding the straw under her veil. The taste was wonderful, she was surprised by the simple but ingenious design of it.

"Hm. So this is just fruit, mixed with milk and ice?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Jackal nodded, he clearly was confused as to _why _Mileena seemed so interested with this. Had she honestly never had a smoothie before? Then again, what was with the mask? before suddenly seeming to realize something.

"Hey kid. Did'ja tell Zi that we were coming here?"

Jackal and Ezekiel looked to another and blinked, both of them seeming to realize that same thing. Jackal silently took his phone out and quietly sent a message.

_Yo Z. The kid and new chick are with me. Don't worry. _

Zion picked up her phone and blinked when she saw the message. Jackal… Did… What…!? What was he think- Wait. No, he wasn't thinking. This was Jackal… Okay, so… they were probably gone for maybe thirty minutes, what's what worst that could happen? With Jackal and Ezekiel, Mileena probably wouldn't be a huge issue, come to think of it, she hadn't really _been _an issue. Maybe Ezekiel was right, maybe she was being a bit too aggressive.

_Back to that hidden place that was shown a few chapters ago… _

Kano downed his beer as he messed with some tech, trying to get it to turn on. Unfortunately, the old communication devices were that. Old. He didn't want to risk sending massive signals off that could potentially alert everyone to where they were, but he needed to try and get in touch with _someone. _The machine sparked… then seemed to peter out and die.

"Damn it!" He cursed, kicking the small device away. That probably did more damage than good, but he really didn't care all that much. His frustration was rising at this point, not just because he had no idea what had happened with the whole 'dead-then-alive-thing', but also because Kabal was claiming to have seen Mileena, who was dead _long _before all this weird stuff began happening.

"Still no luck?"

"Piss off mate."

"Hey, I'm just talking." Kabal said, raising his hands defensively.

"And I'm tellin' you to stop."

"Hm. No." Kabal said flatly. "Who are you trying to get in touch with anyways?"

"The tooth-freak had that fire chick she had a thing for, as well as the water boy. Either of them would probably want to know she's alive, and of course Shao Kahn would probably be pretty happy t'know his daughter's alive. Issue is, I don't think any of 'em have the comm stuff we gave em' a while ago."

"What about Black?"

"…don't. Don't make me call him." Kano muttered. "Th'dude bailed on us, we don't need his help."

"He's also the only guy we know in Outworld." Kabal reasoned.

"And?"

"And what? He's in Outworld and works for money. Those two things should lead to an easy answer to this problem."

"And if he tells Kotal?"

"…crap. Right."

"Alright, so who else do we know?"

The two looked to one another in silence, unsure of what to say or do, until Kabal finally seemed to realize something.

"I have an idea." He stated. "You might not like it, but it's an idea…"


	6. Chapter 6

Outworld. Once a realm renowned for its beauty, strength of its warriors, and wisdom of its leaders. Now, it was a desert wasteland that many found themselves being forced to call 'home'. For several millennia, the rulers of Outworld had been bent on a simple goal shared by a hyper-intelligent cartoon mouse: world domination. Not just the domination and potential subjugation of Outworld, the domination and potential subjugation of _all _worlds. As time went on, the once prosperous lands became stained with blood, the streets filled up with poverty and corpses, as opposed to the original wealthy and life. Even the skies seemed to shift to a permanent orange-reddish tint, as if the amount of death had become so grave, that even the world itself recognized how horrific things had truly become.

For a time, there was a delicate balance of prosperity, peace, and war. The Dragon King Onaga ruled Outworld with an iron fist, but was not above battles of wits as opposed to fists. While he wanted the end goal of the domination and potential subjugation of all worlds, he also understood that he was the ruler of Outworld, and he needed to both act as such, and rule his realm with the proper respect and integrity a ruler needed. His reign would go down in history as a dividing point between historians, with some claiming he was a tyrannical and uncaring monster, and others claiming he could be brash and violent, but could also be reasoned with. That despite his blood-thirsty ways, his goal was to unify all the realms under a single ruler, to ensure their survival and continuing growth.

Then, Shao Kahn happened.

No one knows for sure what the events that lead from Onaga's death to Shao Kahn's rise as ruler were exactly, but the universally agreed fact is that it was BAD. No longer was Outworld a powerful realm driven by unity and pride, now it was driven by supremacy, ego, and bloodlust. Nothing short of an eternal empire was good enough for Shao Kahn, and he made that fact _known. _Thousands- no _MILLIONS_ were slaughtered by his hand for no reason other than the ideals of ruling through fear. Outworld was now a militarized realm, and Shao Kahn had his sights set on the other realms that existed outside of Outworld. The history isn't clear, but what was known was he took many by victory in Mortal Kombat, even taking a wife after the defeat of Edenia's warriors. However, another hotly debated event in Outworld's history were the allegiances of Empress Sindel. Some claimed she took her own life in disgust from being forced to be wed to Shao Kahn, others claim she was brainwashed into becoming subservient, others claim she was loyal but murdered, and yet others claim that she was key to King Jerrod's defeat, and only cared for her own personal power. Regardless, this is when the world that was once known for its beauty and strength, became known for its warriors, bloodlust and fury.

In time, the one remaining realm not under Outworld's fist, Earthrealm, rose up. In the final gambit, against all odds, they won. However, ever the petulant and sore loser, Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm. Eventually, the Elder Gods decided that enough was enough, and put an end to his tyranny once and for all. Since then, there were two more Kahns, Mileena Kahn, and Kotal Kahn.

Mileena's rein was short-lived, possibly due to her inability to think rationally, or the ability to realize when she was being manipulated, or maybe it was because she was a female. (Hey, we don't know.) Regardless, while many thought that the fighting had ended in Outworld after Shao Kahn, but no. There was another great civil war, caused by Shao Kahn's daughter, and in the end, the last son of the Osh-Tekk was crowned ruler of Outworld. His name, is Kotal Kahn.

Recently, there was yet another regime change, and now Outworld is governed by the other (and to many, better) daughter of Shao Kahn, Kitana Kahn. Striving to reunite the realm, the humans, shokan's, and Tarkatans now work towards a better realm for everyone. A major part of this better world was the arrest/capture/execution of the Ex-Empress Mileena's allies.

All two of them.

The Edenian Tanya sat in chains, beaten and bloody, feeling… broken. While she hadn't always believed Mileena's plans, she followed her out of love, and out of a want to eventually position herself on a place of power. She had been desperate to save herself, and had sold out her ally Rain to ensure her own survival. She wasn't sure if they had killed him or not, and she didn't much care. But despite her attempts to save herself, all she had done was briefly stay her own execution. Still, she had an odd feeling that things were going to be changing very soon… Kitana was now the Kahn, and apparently, Shao Kahn was alive… But nothing about Mileena. She was trying her best to act neutral, but plan her escape or her next move without it being obvious that she was doing either of those things, but it was getting tough. Once Kitana had taken over, she had made it clear that the odds of Tanya being executed had increased ten-fold, meaning whatever she was going to do, she needed to do soon. For the first time in her life, Tanya realized what she was missing; an ally. Not someone on the level of Mileena, but someone she could work with, and then dispose of when the time came. Unfortunately, Rain was gone (most likely dead) and none of the guards seemed interested in her advances. She needed someone more… volatile, more unpredictable, more… idiotic, so to say.

Out on the outskirts of Kotal's courtyard, two guards stood rigidly at attention, keeping their eyes out for any potential threats. Today was like most days, meaning it was hot, quiet, and extremely boring. However, the two's boredom was cut in two when a figure stumbled out of the dust storm, hands raised and speaking drunkenly.

"OI! Where are ya Kody?! I'm turning myself in!"

Back on Earthrealm, Mileena looked around the small town, watching Ezekiel climbing up on a fence and looking out over the cliff that dropped down to the waters. Taking in the town, Mileena was surprised at how small it appeared to be, as the land felt large and grand, but the majority of her view were hills, mountains and water. The small town they were in seemed to be just that, a small town. It was almost reminiscent of the Tarkatan Villages in Outworld, before everything went horribly, horribly wrong. Just with less sand and cannibalism.

"Is there something you're looking for?" She asked, approaching the fence and looking out to the water, all while Ezekiel was looking back and forth for a minute before relying.

"Whales!" He said happily. Mileena blinked, thinking about what he said. Weren't those giant fish creatures? Outworld had creatures like that, but the closest thing to a whale was a whale shark.

"…the water seems so beautiful, so serene." She said, mostly to herself. "I wish I could see it at a closer position…"

"And you can!" Jackal exclaimed, making the half-tarkatan jump in surprise, before scowling behind her mask. How did a mere human manage to surprise her like that!? "C'mon!"

Before she could ask what he was talking about, Jackal looked around to make sure no one was watching, then jumped over the side of the fence onto the small pathway a few feet below. Mileena smirked, enjoying Jackal's adventurous spirit and jumped over as well, landing on the much narrower than expected pathway. She looked back up and saw Ezekiel looking down, clearly unnerved by the prospect of jumping. Admittedly, she understood why, as there was nothing but a long rock and sand cliff face heading down towards the sand and water.

"C..c..can't we ju..just go to the dock?" He asked, fear and whatever was wrong with his mind clearly taking over.

"Aw, c'mon kid! You've done this with me before!" Jackal laughed. "C'mon man! I don't want the cops to see us doing this!"

Mileena didn't know why, but she waited as Ezekiel slowly clamoured over the fence and dropped down behind her. She nodded to him and set off after Jackal, following the eccentric man down the path which took them down the cliffside.

"Be careful, not all this is sturdy." Jackal remarked as he circumvented the problem but jumping a large section of the path. Mileena wordlessly followed, unsure of why she was trusting Jackal, but also curious as to where he was leading them. Besides, she wanted to see the water, and if he was taking her to it, she didn't mind a bit of acrobatics. Ezekiel seemed more confident now as well, following quickly behind them, just running for it and making it across the deformed section.

"So, is there a reason you chose to do things in such an unconventional way?" Mileena asked as they kept heading downwards, the waters getting closer.

"Well, I like doing this in my own way." Jackal shrugged. "Besides, I'm not one for rules or regulations, I like to live free. Sure, it isn't always perfect, but sometimes you just gotta be you."

Mileena nodded, she didn't have any follow up question or even that great a response, so she just kept following him. Admittedly, she did wish there was an easier way to get down to the sea, and apparently there was. But on the same note, this was surprisingly fun, something about the risk and danger adding to the enjoyment. Eventually, Jackal ducked down and crept through a small tunnel that seemed to naturally have been created in the side of the cliff. Mileena and Ezekiel followed, and Mileena was beginning to feel annoyed. The further into the tunnel they went, the narrower and more cramped it became. It felt like they were going down a slant, and the walls were gradually closing in to crush them. Just as she was going to call Jackal out for his idiocy and inane leading, demanding he tell them where they were going, she felt herself able to stand up. She blinked as her eyes adjusted, and then were blinded when she turned around. She realized that they were in a small cave, and the blinding light was the sun shining in from above. She walked about, seeing a few old chairs and a white box with drinks inside it, putting together that this was some sort of hideout for the boys.

"Well?" Jackal smiled, spinning around with his arms outstretched.

"I'll be honest, this is not what I expected." Mileena confessed, looking about and noticing there were crystals of some sort that were catching the light and sparkling because of it. There was a blueish-purple sparkling tint to them, and they were honestly rather entrancing. Finally, she noticed Ezekiel heading out towards the entrance of the cave.

"C'mon! You wanted to see the water, right Miss Mileena?" Ezekiel called, and Mileena smiled behind her mask, heading out towards the sun. When she left, she felt the cool summer air blow against her face, and a sense of wonder overtook her as she saw the water. Crouching down, she let the water lap across her hand. It was so calm and serene, there was a beauty that she couldn't explain, but it felt like this was something she had been looking for her entire life. The water was also surprisingly cold, something that only the jungles in Outworld could compare to. But there was a nice feeling to it, a sort of crispness that felt right, despite the almost unfriendly cold temperature. Ezekiel was sitting on a nearby rock, watching the waves crash against the cliff face, and Jackal had grabbed a fishing rod and was casting the line out into the water. Neither one seemed to be paying her much mind, neither one seemed to be planning to stab her when she wasn't looking… a new thought came to her, one which was ridiculous, but she also hadn't considered.

Was she dead, and in some sort of heaven-like afterlife?

No, that didn't seem possible. If this was like a heaven that some of the priests spoke of, she wouldn't have been wounded, she most likely would've been ruling her kingdom, or with her father, or with Kitana obeying her, or… whatever.

"_No wonder my father wanted to take control of this realm, the beauty is unlike anything I've seen." _Mileena thought, thinking back to the accounts she had read of Edenia and Outworld's original beauty, before corrupted leaders had driven them into the ground. Well, now she found herself in a world that seemed like a paradise. She knew she needed to get home, she knew she needed to save Tanya and kill Kotal… but maybe staying here by the water a little longer wouldn't hurt…

_Back in Outworld…_

"Kill him."

"Whoa! Ain't that like, a blat'nt violation of the Geneva conventin?" Kano asked.

"Why would _you _a known criminal among realms, believe that we would not kill you for your crimes?" Kitana asked flatly. She had no idea why Kano showed up and suddenly surrendered, and frankly, she wasn't in the mood to find out why.

"Simple, you kill me. What kind of example you settin' for yer Earthrealm allies?" Kano remarked. His answer agitated Kitana, because well, he kind of had a point. "Ya kill me, an'they think you'd do that ta all of 'em."

"Or they'd be indifferent to the death of a known terrorist who helped Shao Kahn invade their realm." Jade countered.

"Oh, piss off. There's no proof I did that!"

"You sold weapons to Shang Tsung which killed several of my warriors." Barakka spoke up, annoyed that Kano hadn't been killed yet.

"You guys didn't listen when I said which way the weapons fired from. That was on you!" Kano snapped, still seeming somewhat drunk. "Wait."

To be completely honest, Kitana was frustrated with what was happening right now. Not just because of Kano's 'reasoning' as to why he shouldn't be killed on the spot, and the fact that technically he had a point, but because there were many, many issues she was trying to deal with right now. Her father was alive and gone somewhere unknown, the Black Dragons were still being an issue, and she now had to balance the Tarkatan's, Shokan's and Earthrealm's alliances. All those were issues big enough to warrant a council meeting, but now the leader of the black Dragons, and an enemy to all the previously mentioned factions. Thankfully, they _were_ all in agreement on one thing: Kano had to go.

"Take him to the pits, I will consult with our allies and we will determine his fate later." Kitana finally stated, a grim look on her face, and the others nodded, dragging the Aussie arms dealer away.

"Show me the way to go home… I'm tired and I wanna…" Kano drunkenly sang as he was dragged off. Kitana groaned in annoyance at his embarrassing display of character, and was surprised to find Erron Black looking her way.

"See why I wanted out of his posse of idiots?" The gunslinger asked.

"I thought it was because someone offered you more money for your services." Kitana quipped, not in the mood for this conversation. Thankfully, when Kotal stepped down and Kitana took over, Erron had no issues falling in line under her, so long as he was paid… mercenaries always disgusted Kitana…

"Heh, that certainly was a factor." Black nodded, and Kitana could hear the smirk behind his mask.

Two hours had passed back in Earthrealm, and they were rather quiet all things considered. The loudest sounds were the waves, and Jackal's exclamations as he caught or lost a fish to the sea. Mileena noted that over the two hours, Ezekiel seemed to slowly be coming closer and closer, as if there was something he wanted to say, but didn't know how. For the past ten minutes he seemed to be drawing something in the sand with a stick, and it looked oddly like one of Outworld's insignias, with what looked like two dragons and a sword, or were they snakes?

"What is that?" Mileena asked curiously, looking to the sand drawing. Ezekiel looked up and then shrugged.

"I dunno." He admitted. "I saw Jackal's brother have this as a tattoo on his arm, and I thought it looked cool."

"_Wait." _Mileena blinked. _"That's not an Outworld Insignia… where have I seen it?" _

Shaking her head, Mileena summoned a sai and made a rough outline of the three marks surrounding a circle, only for it to suddenly be washed away by the crystal water. She looked over and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Ezekiel was making a rough sand drawing of her, recognizing her hair and mask. It was a sweet gesture, and she slowly reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, and-

"_Get a hold of yourself." _She mentally scolded herself, pulling her hand back. _"He's a human boy, and an Earthrealm one at that. When you're back in Outworld, he'll most likely be nothing but a fleeting memory, don't get attached." _

"_Those weaker than you are servants, nothing more, nothing less." _Her father's voice spoke in her head, remembering the lessons he had imparted on her years ago. _"While physical strength is vital, cunning can be a strength in and of itself, do not let yourself focus on only one." _

The Ex-Empress looked to her two companions and frowned. Neither one of them had physical strength, and little Ezekiel didn't seem to have cunning either. Jackal was an interesting case as he seemed to be hiding a lot of who he was under a mask of air-headedness and slight idiocy. Neither one of them seemed to be a threat, and neither one seemed to have much to offer.

So why did she like them?

"All right kid. I think we should get home before Zion freaks more than she already is." Jackal remarked, tossing a small fish back and folding up his rod. Ezekiel nodded and finished his sand drawing before heading back towards the cave. Mileena followed behind the pair, the trio keeping their silence as they began climbing back up the path to their vehicle. Now that the sun was setting, Mileena was taken aback by the colours of the sky. It was something so simple and probably mundane, and she had seen it before in Outworld, but for the first time in her life, she was able to take a step back and look at it without worrying about running or fighting.

"So, is Jackal your real name?" She asked, off-handedly to try and make some sort of conversation.

"Yes, but actually no." Jackal answered laughing somewhat. "Jackal is what everyone calls me, so it's what I roll with. People say it's 'cause I run all the time, but I guess those people haven't met my brother before."

"If it's but a nickname, what is your true name?"

"Heh. Where's the fun in telling you that?" Jackal asked with a smirk, making Mileena frown in annoyance. She didn't like people playing games with her, especially someone like Jackal, and especially over something as trivial as a _name_. "You'll figure it out eventually."

Thinking strategically as she hopped up to another path, she looked to Ezekiel, wordlessly asking a question.

"I dunno." Ezekiel admitted innocently. "I think he's only told Zion." The answer made Mileena huff in annoyance, so she noted to herself to ask Zion…

"Yo, watch this patch up here." Jackal ordered once more when they had returned to the crumbling path from before. Putting his back against the cliff face and shuffling partway out, Jackal estimated the distance and seemed to be studying the ground for any weaknesses, then jumped. A few rocks came lose and tumbled down to the water, punctuating how far up they were now, but the ground as a whole held firm. Granted, Mileena wasn't afraid of heights, but she figured it would be very disappointing of her to die from something as simple as a slip after all she had endured, and nimbly made her way towards solid ground as if it was no problem. However, she again noticed the height and nodded thanks to Jackal, who noticeably seemed very, very unsettled all of a sudden.

"Hey, kid? Take it slow." Jackal was speaking to Ezekiel, and Mileena realized what the problem was. "Look, back to the wall, come half way out, you'll be okay."

Slowly, Ezekiel collected himself and slowly shuffled across the falling path, Small rocks seemed to be coming loose with every movement he made, which only seemed to be adding to his paranoia. Then, he froze, hos body seemingly unable to move in the slightest.

"EZ. EZ, look at me." Jackal said, somewhat sternly. "It's okay, it's four steps. That's all kiddo."

"Okay, yeah…" Ezekiel whispered, nodding to himself. "I c..can do that… ju..just a few steps." The small boy tensed, then took two small steps and jumped. Jackal sighed in relief when he landed safely in front of him. Only for his relief to turn to terror when the edge of the platform Ezekiel was standing on gave out, the soft earth crumbing away to nothing. The small boy flailed forward, trying to grab onto something, but was too slow, and began to fall.

"KID!" Jackal shouted, diving forward, but not moving quick enough to grab his hand as the small boy began to fall towards the rocks and water below. Shutting his eyes, Ezekiel whimpered something inaudible and felt tears forming in his eyes. Jackal stared in horror at the sight unfolding in front of him, one which he had caused. But before either of them could say anything, there were two pink flashes, and Ezekiel felt himself behind held close by a pair of arms, then set on the ground. With his eyes shut, he grabbed tightly to the nearest solid object there was, and when he opened his eyes, he saw he was holding onto Mileena.

"Wh..what?" The tiny boy whispered, wide eyes showing fear and confusion.

"What…the…what just happened!?" Jackal sputtered, looking back and forth in shock his scarf flapping back and forth. Mileena got down on a knee to look Ezekiel in the eyes before she spoke.

"If you promise not to tell anyone about what I've done, I won't tell Zion about what happened." She offered, and the boys nodded. They knew Mileena's powers weren't something normal in this town, or world, and Mileena knew that Zion most likely wouldn't be too happy if she found out her brother had nearly died. Most likely she'd blame Mileena -somehow- for what happened… As they continued back up the path towards home, Mileena felt someone take her hand. She looked down to see Ezekiel holding it nervously, as if afraid he'd fall again if he let go.

"_Perhaps childlike innocence could be a weapon." _Mileena joked mentally, smirking lightly under her mask. But she didn't make any move to pull her hand away. After what felt like an hour, but was only five minutes, Jackal took a running start and ran forward, jumping partway up the wall and grabbing onto the railing above. It took him a few moments, but he flipped himself up and over, returning to solid ground. He reached down and watched as EZ ran and tried, only to make it about half-way up before sliding back down. Mileena had to hold back laughter as he tried twice more, always resulting in him sliding back down to the small platform. Finally, Mileena picked him up and held him up to Jackal, who grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him up, grunting as he hauled the small boy over and onto the solid ground. Mileena followed behind them, nimbly climbing up and jumping the railing, landing and dusting herself off. She turned and took one last look out over the water, finding it entrancing, and almost sad that she had to go. But still, there would be all the time in the world to enjoy it once this realm was hers.

As they arrived at their vehicle, Ezekiel stopped suddenly and was tugging on Jackal's scarf, as if he realized something and he was afraid to say anything.

"What? What's wrong?" Jackal asked looking to where Ezekiel was pointing. Mileena followed their gaze and simply raised a brow when she saw a lone gray wolf standing off in the distance on a grassy hill. The animal seemed poised to run off, and was looking in their general direction, its gray fur dirtied by mud and blood.

"A wolf?" Mileena asked skeptically.

"Wow." Jackal blinked. "There hasn't been a wolf on this island in nearly one hundred years!" His statement made Mileena realize _why _they seemed so amazed by a simple animal, and she had to admit, it was surprising. The wolf looked at them then ran off towards the hills, disappearing into the day evening night sky. Mileena bit her lip, something seemed… off, about the wolf, but she didn't know what it was. Regardless, she climbed back into the jeep, sitting in the back this time, looking down with a smile at Ezekiel as Jackal drove off towards the farm.

In the dark, decrepit dungeon under Outworld temple, Tanya groaned as she tried to rub her ankles to soothe them as they grew raw against the metal shackles. There was no relief though, and she was left groaning in pain. Tanya hissed in annoyance, and then froze when she heard voices coming, and quickly turned her back to the incoming troops, refusing to give them any sort of satisfaction in her pain.

"Just throw him in somewhere and let's get out of here." One of the guards remarked.

"The sooner he's out of our hands, the better." Another remarked.

"…_Rain?" _Tanya thought, unsure of who the guards were talking about. If that was true, then this was bad. She had hoped Rain was dead, otherwise the Edenian prince wouldn't think twice about killing her in retaliation for her past transgressions… But she didn't want to turn around, she didn't want them to think she was planning anything…

The sound of doors opening and closing came and went, and then footsteps disappeared, leaving the tense silence in the dungeon once more.

"Oh, bloody hell…" A voice muttered.

"_NO." _Tanya twitched involuntarily, biting her lip in anger. _"Not. Him. Anyone but him!" _

"Ay, Tawny." Kano spoke up, dragging himself up and sitting against the wall, giving her an obnoxious smirk. "How they hangin'?"

Tanya didn't respond, she didn't want to talk to Kano. For any reason. She had met the Australian criminal a few times in the past, and she couldn't stand him. His stench, his attitude, his unwanted sexual advantages… How Empress Mileena could _ever _tolerate him was beyond her comprehension.

"Nice place ya got here."

Again, Tanya refused to even turn back and look at him.

"Is the room service any good?"

Still nothing.

"I've been doin' good. Thank ya fer askin'."

The silence continued.

"Your ass still looks great."

Tanya shivered and seethed, clenching her teeth as she exhaled in frustration.

"…Mileena's alive." Kano finally said, off-handedly, and Tanya whirled around the best she could, her chains getting tangled and leaving her in an awkward position.

"WHAT!?" She yelled.

"Yeah. I ain't kiddin' ya." Kano smirked, knowing he now had the assassin's attention. "Freak face is alive and kicking, I guess when that time witch messed with everythin' it brought her back."

"Where?" Tanya demanded.

"Earthrealm." Kano shrugged, and immediately, Tanya's face changed to one of great annoyance. "I know it sounds crazy, but I've seen her, I have pictures."

"…sure." Tanya sighed, not wanting to get her hopes up, believing that there was no possible way Mileena was alive… but if what she had overheard about Kronika was true, then Mileena's resurrection could be true or false, all she needed to do was find the Time Titan and get her to bring Mileena back!

"Look. I'm 'ere because Shao Kahn can be a right wanker, and probably won't listen ta me. 'Spcially after the crap with the tourney…" Kano continued. "So, I figured _you _would be a good way ta get the message of her bein' alive an' all to 'im."

"And _how _do you propose we do THAT?" Tanya asked dramatically. "If you haven't noticed, we're in cells!"

"Yeah, so what?" Kano replied with a devious smirk. "You act like this is the first time I've been arrested before. Relax Tammy, we're gonna be bustin' out real soon…"

**Sorry it took a while to get back to this story, but y'know, other stories and stuff. Uh, I use twitter NSkorch sometimes, so if you wanna hear updates about stories, check my profile, or follow me there. I don't really tweet much, mostly just random thoughts and occasional takes that upset people. But whatever. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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